- TURQUIE – Izmir - Hundreds of valuable historical artifacts, most of which were made of gold, have been unearthed during the archeological excavations conducted in Turkey's Aegean region in 2010. A total of 779 artifacts have been brought to sunlight thanks to 16 excavations in and near the Aegean province of İzmir throughout last year- Museum's Director Mehmet Tuna said that the unearthed artifacts, a major part of which were jewelries made of gold, had been taken under record by his institution. "Most of the pieces delivered to our museum are golden earrings, necklaces, rings and ornaments. There are also earthenware jugs, amphoras, statuettes and tools reflecting the social and economic life of ancient times," Tuna said. The director noted that artifacts mainly came from the ancient prophecy center Claros, Menemen Tinaztepe region, Mount Nif, the tumulus in Urla Limantepe, Bornova Yeşilova and Kemalpaşa Ulucak, as well as the ancient cities of Smyrna, Klazomenai, Metropolis, Kyme and Teos. Commenting on the excavations to be carried out in 2011, Tuna said experts would try to unearth an ancient vegetable oil production facility and two farmhouses in Kyme ancient city this year. İzmir's history goes back to 3000 B.C. according to the results of historical knowledge and archaeological excavations. The city is known as one of the oldest settlements in the Mediterranean basin.

- USA – Beaufort - Could this partly gilded hilt have held Blackbeard's sword? There's no way to know for sure, though it was found amid the North Carolina wreck of the Queen Anne's Revenge, the flagship of the infamous 18th-century pirate. Since 1997, archaeologists have been excavating the Queen Anne's Revenge. The sword hilt—found in pieces but reassembled for this picture—is among their latest finds and was revealed to the public this month. After running aground on a sandbar in 1718 near the town of Beaufort, the ship was abandoned but likely remained intact and partly above water for as long as a year before collapsing and disintegrating- Blackbeard’s brief career as a pirate lasted only about two years, but during that time he became one of history's most feared outlaws. Operating in the West Indies and off the coast of colonial America, he struck terror into the hearts of commercial ships' captains and once held the entire city of Charleston, South Carolina, hostage.

- KOSOVO -Ulpiana - Two-and-a-half metres underground, covering the equivalent of 120 football pitches, the ancient lllyrian and Roman city of Ulpiana is slowly being unearthed by Kosovar and international archaeologists. Although the location has long been known as the country’s most promising archaeological site, only now is it being properly explored. A mere fraction of the area has been explored and most of the land remains covered with grassland or fields, sown with wheat and corn. But in 2010, the Ministry of Culture began funding major excavation work at the site, nine kilometres south of the capital, Pristina, near the town of Gracanica. From 1950 to 1999, when the Kosovo conflict ended, almost no work was carried out on the site. Following the end of the hostilities, however, archaeologists began digging, uncovering sections of the city walls, defensive towers, glass containers, ceramic pots, coins, a gold pendant, human remains and Illyrian graves. The finds date back to the 1st Century AD, when it is thought that an older Illyrian settlement was re-founded by the Romans as Ulpiana. But of the estimated 120 hectares of the site, the government owns less than one hectare. Local Serbian farmers own most of the rest. Although most of the Ulpiana site is private property, because the site is of historical importance it has been a designated protected area since 1954- In the summer of 2010, a team of archaeologists from the National Museum of Kosovo, the archaeological institute and the Institute for Protection and Monuments of Pristina, along with archaeologists from Germany, scanned 45 hectares of the site. This involved scanning the whole area down to a depth of two-and-a half-metres. According to calculations, the ancient city covered a total of 120 hectares. In 2011 and 2012 the scientists expect to record the entire area. Archaeologists have uncovered evidence suggesting the site may have been inhabited as far back as the 7th century BC. As a major Illyrian settlement, Ulpiana is of huge cultural importance for Albanians, as many historians believe Albanians descend from this ancient tribe. But it was not until the Romans arrived in the 1st century that the town developed into a city. In the 4th Century, Ulpiana was given the title of municipium, the second-highest class of Roman cities. One of the key findings of the research so far has been the 1st-Century Illyrian graves. Two skeletons found at the site have been sent to Germany for analysis. Ulpiana decayed as a result of barbarian attacks during the fall of the Roman Empire. In 500 AD, for example, Goths destroyed much of the city. In 518, Ulpiana was badly hit by an earthquake. Ulpiana was rebuilt in the 6th century during the reign of the Emperor Justinian. But the 7th century spelt the end of Ulpiana as a great city when it was destroyed by the conquering Slavs.

- USA – Glenwood - About 800 years ago, an American Indian culture was concentrated in the Loess Hills near here. Little is known about the people of what archaeologists call the Glenwood culture. They dwelled in earth lodges, lived on both sides of the Missouri River, and sometime around 1300 A.D. left — possibly being absorbed by the Pawnee or other tribes. But two new grants from the Iowa Department of Transportation may help scholars and archaeologists learn more about the Glenwood culture people. Actual construction of the interpretive center building and its displays is expected to be funded by individuals, foundations and universities. The interpretive center is planned on five to seven acres of land known as Foothills Park on the southeast corner of Levi Road and U.S. Highway 34, just south of town. It’s part of a 917-acre preserve owned by the Department of Natural Resources, where the remains of 109 Glenwood culture sites, including earth lodges, are concentrated. Some 400 Glenwood culture sites are catalogued in the Glenwood, Iowa, area alone, Phipps said. There also are some sites in Nebraska. A second grant will go toward cataloging more than 83,000 artifacts unearthed when the U.S. 34 bypass south of Glenwood was built in the late 1960s and early 1970s,